Sickness of the Heart
by Sceptile
Summary: AAML Complete Ash is ready to head off to Sinnoh when he recieves a phone call that extremely worries him about misty. What will he do? R&R please!
1. Chapter 1: Discovery

A/N: Hi everyone, this is my first fanfic, and it is sort of a trial run, because I'm working on a long multi chapter story that involves everyone. Thanks, R&R

Disclaimer: Do I own pokemon? Nope, I wish…

**Sickness of the Heart:**

Chapter 1: Discovery

"That's it Pikachu, iron tail just one more time!" Ash shouted at his small, yellow, electric friend of five years.

"Pikachuuu, PIKAA!" It exclaimed as the targeted rock that had been used for training was blown to bits.

"Good work, what do you say we take a break and grab something to drink?"

Pikachu nodded his response, and the two headed into Delia Ketchum's house on the east side of Pallet Town. It was a nice and cozy house that looked like it could be used as a summer cottage. A peaceful house in a peaceful town, nothing could be better at the time. Ash had returned home with Brock, May, and Max right after Ash's final frontier battle had ended in victory against Brandon. They had stayed for a few weeks, but then May had decided to head to Johto with Max, and Brock had taken a boat to the Sinnoh region. Ash was staying and training until he could figure out what exactly to do next, but for now he was just enjoying being able to relax.

"Did you have a good training session, sweety?" She asked in her usual motherly voice.

"Yeah, it was great mom; Pikachu's iron tail got a lot stronger." He responded.

It was true, Pikachu had become very strong over the years, but its bond with Ash had become stronger too. His mother entered the room with a tray with a glass and a bowl of icy cold lemonade. Ash placed the bowl down for Pikachu and took a large gulp of his own drink.

"Thanks mom," he said. "Pika," added Pikachu.

Delia nodded and left the room leaving Ash to think.

"So buddy, where do you wanna go next, Sinnoh does sound like a good idea, do you think so?" "Pika!" "Then its settled, we'll head out first thing tomorrow, I'd better go get packed."

He was stopped in the hallway by his mother. To get to Sinnoh, you're going to need a boat ticket," she stated, and sure enough, she dipped her hand in her pocket and removed one first class ferry ticket to Sinnoh.

"Whoa, thanks a billion mom, but how did you know where we were going?" Ash asked with a confused look on his face.

"Call it motherly instinct," she responded with a warm smile as Ash took the ticket and headed upstairs to pack.

As soon as he was done, he slumped over onto his bed sleepily. His mind suddenly thought of back when he, Misty, and Brock were about to head to the new region of Johto. Misty. Just the thought of her made him blush. He had always had strong feelings for her, strong enough to call it love. If only he could see her again, he would do anything. At first she was just an annoying girl who wanted her bike, but it developed into something new. As much as they argued and bickered at each other, Ash had enjoyed every second of those five years, whether she was traveling with him or not, he thought about her all the time. But it wasn't like it mattered; she would never like a rough, ragged boy like himself. He drifted off to sleep with thoughts of his love and adventures with Misty in his head.

The next morning he woke up earlier than usual (if you consider 1 pm usual…) and grabbed his things and shot out the door with a quick good bye to his mother. It was a three hour walk to South Pallet Port but the time flew by as Ash thought about the new adventures that awaited him in Sinnoh. When he arrived, ticket in hand, Pikachu on shoulder, he headed to Port B4, where his ship, the S.S. Anne II would be leaving quite soon. There were many people, some busy trying to catch boats, and some relaxing by the ocean on the clear blue cloudless sky. As he made his way, he noticed many trainers waiting anxiously for the Anne II to leave, they were most likely nervous about the new region as well. He paced onto the walkway that lead onto the giant cruise liner. He approached the man who was clipping tickets.

"Hello, sir, may I please see your…." The man cut himself off. "What's going on over there?" he asked.

Ash spun around only to see his own Pikachu gulping down packs of ketchup in front of a group of people who found this quite amusing. Ash sweatdropped, but blushed furiously when he had to walk into the group of people and scoop up his best friend. As he walked away he scolded his Pikachu,

"Don't do that, you know it's embarrassing," he stated. Pikachu scratched behind his head and nodded nervously.

Just as he was almost on the ship, the loudspeaker came on and a male's voice interrupted his boarding, "Ash Kethcum, please report to the South Pallet Port front office, there is an urgent phone call for you, thank you," the loud speaker cut off.

"_Huh, a phone call for me?" _Ash thought nervously, "_Everyone knows where I am, I bet it's just a phone call from my mom, saying I forgot something, like my… unmentionables." _Ash blushed and smiled at the thought, but some of his nervousness had come back by the time he had made it inside the building labeled Front Office. He walked over to the front counter, and mentioned to the lady that he was Ash Ketchum.

"Video phone four," she said.

He stumbled over to the fourth booth and clicked the on button, half expecting to see his mother's cheery face. Instead it was exactly the opposite, for on the small screen was a teary eyed Daisy, one of Misty's three sensational sisters. She was not the usual glamorous sister that Ash had come to know. No. It was once again, exactly the opposite. Her hair was ruffled, and her eyes were red. She noticed Ash and in between sniffles she choked out, "A..Ash," "Daisy, Daisy! Wh…what's wrong," his eyes were beginning to well up as well. Daisy started to sob. "A…Ash, I…It's Misty…Sh..She's sick."

A/N: Ooohh. Cliffhanger! Please send me ideas and R&R!!! Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2: Deep Illness

A/N: Hey, here's my new chapter, I hope you like it, and keep sending reviews with suggestions.

Disclaimer: No pokemon owners here, sorry.

**Sickness of the Heart:**

Chapter 2: Deep Illness

Ash didn't need to be told twice as he bolted out of the office leaving Daisy in tears on the other line. For once, even Pikachu had to exert itself to catch up to him. He shot through the crowd leaving his ticket behind. He had no more need for it. He sped to his house in record time bursting through the door, scaring his mom half out of her wits.

"Mom! I need to borrow the car, now!" he shouted as he grabbed the keys off the counter. "B..But honey, you're scarring me, and you're barely old enough to drive! W..Whats going on?" his mother managed.

"No time to explain, something has happened to Misty, I'm headed to Cerulean City," and with that flew out the door and sped off in the family car, leaving his mom quite surprised at first, but then relaxed.

"Ahh, that's my Ash, always helping a friend in need," She smiled to herself and continued with the house chores.

Ash on the other hand was feeling extremely tense. "_What if something happens and I lose her, I wouldn't be able to continue on,_" He thought to himself. A lone tear slipped down his cheek as his foot pushed harder on the gas pedal.

The sparkling Cerulean City came into view, yet to Ash, it did not have it's usual radiant glow. It was a gloomy city filled pain and sadness, nothing happy about it. As he passed the cheery people on the bright streets, he longed to join them. They had nothing to worry about, and could relax with not a care in the world. He did not even know of what or how bad Misty was, but he could tell by the look of Daisy that it had to be horrible. Skidding could be heard for blocks as Ash arrived at the Cerulean Gym and hopped out of the car. He grabbed Pikachu and ran up to the door. He knocked twice, but didn't have the patience to wait, so he let himself in.

He couldn't believe what he saw. The gym was trashed, looking as if it had been unkempt for weeks, perhaps even months. "Hello? Is anyone here?" Ash asked with a raised voice. He entered the main arena area and looked around. "Pika, Pika?" Pikachu cried. He was just about to leave and check the office when he heard muffled sobs. He turned around to the stands and in the top row he saw Violet crying with her hands to her face.

"Violet?" Ash managed. He couldn't help but feel sorry for her. She looked extremely hurt and sad.

"A…Ash? Ash! Hurry, Sh..She's this way!" and before he could even think, he was sprinting toward the hallway that Violet had headed down. When he caught up to her, she had stopped in front of a brown door that was labeled, "Misty Waterflower's Room." "She's in here, please; try to convince her to get to the hospital! She's just too darn proud!" she choked out.

"What? She refuses to go to the hospital? And I thought I was dense. I'll talk to her," he responded.

Violet nodded, and headed back towards the main gym area. Ash turned the knob and slowly slid open the door. What he saw made tears stream down his face. He couldn't control them even if he wanted to. Inside the room that had water pokemon dolls and ocean wallpaper was Misty lying on the bed as pale as can be. The area around her eyes was pink, and her lips were a grayish red color. She looked so peaceful sleeping, like a fallen angel. Ash's tears were now pouring down like drops and his cap was covering his eyes. Even Pikachu who was now on Ash's shoulder had to look away.

"M…Misty," he choked out in between sniffles. He couldn't stand to see his best friend in such a state.

Misty's eyes fluttered for a second and then slowly crept open. "A..Ash?" she managed surprised. Ash slid up a chair and sat down, tears now sliding rapidly sliding off of his face.

He took her by the hand and whispered, "Misty, I'm here for you, and I won't be leaving until you're one-hundred percent better."

"Th..Thank you Ash," She whispered back, looking as though she could slip back into dreamland at any second.

"Misty, I want what's best for you, but you have to trust me and let me get you to a hospital," he barely managed

. Her eyes momentarily closed as she considered it. She had no better friend than Ash, and she would do anything for him. "A..Ash, I T..Trust you," and with that she slipped back into unconsciousness. Ash then put both of his arms underneath her and carried her limp and delicate body out of the room and towards the entrance to the gym, Pikachu following close behind.

On his way outside he passes Misty's three sisters, who were stil quietly sulking when hey saw him. "D..Did she actually agree to go to the hospital?" Lily asked concerned. "Yeah, but I need to get her there right away," he responded. "Th…That's great, we'll be by later to check up," Violet added. Ash nodded and headed out to the car, and carefully lied Misty down in the back seat and buckled her up, and Pikachu hopped into the passenger seat.

It was quiet drive to the hospital, and Ash frequently glanced over at Misty to make sure that she was okay, and every time, Ash had trouble taking his eyes off of her. This was his first chance to actually admire how much she had changed. She had a nice tan and her hair was down and had a hint of a curl at the end. She was taller and when he had seen her eyes, they were a beautiful shade of cascade blue. She was so beautiful that she could rival her sisters. No, she was beyond beautiful; Ash could barely keep his eyes on the road.

As they arrived at the hospital, Ash pulled up and parked the car, and went over to Misty's car door, and just as he opened it, Misty began to breathe heavily and quickly. Ash felt her wrist and realized her heartbeat was too fast.

"Pikachu! She's having a seizure!" he cried. Immediately, Pikachu's cheeks began to spark up. "Pikachu, no! A thunder bolt won't help anything now!" He picked up Misty, and darted into the building labeled Emergency Room, not even bothering to shut the car door.

As he burst through the door he screamed, "Please, someone help, she's having a seizure!" As the people in the room looked at him, so did the doctors.

In seconds they had put Misty down on a stretcher and rushed her down the hallway into a private room. Ash sat down with his face in his hands. He couldn't believe it. He was going to lose his best friend not to a becoming stone that could be cured with pokemon tears, no, he was losing her to a dumb disease. That was it. Pikachu was trying to comfort him, but it was to no avail. He was crying like a baby now. But before he could think anymore, a doctor came out of the room and presented himself to Ash.

"_Here it comes, the shock of my life, she's died before I could even tell her my feelings," _but he was cut off by the doctor. "Sir, your friend has come down with an extreme viral infection. We aren't exactly sure of the survival rate because it seemed that she had been suffering from it for a while now." "_Darn Misty's sisters, she might be fine right now had they dragged her in," _he thought, but no, they couldn't be blamed, they tried their best. The doctor began again, "There is one complication though," Ash looked up. "Your friend, she's… She's fallen into a coma."

A/N: Oooh, crazy chapter, I hope you liked it, I enjoyed writing it. R&R please!


	3. Chapter 3: Unconsciousness

A/N: Sorry for the day's wait. My housekeeper was here and she was vacuuming so I couldn't concentrate on the story. Thanks for you patience.

Disclaimer: I, Sceptile, am not a pokemon owner. Hah, now you can't sue me!

**Sickness of the Heart:**

Chapter 3: Unconsciousness

"A coma," Ash murmured to himself. Pikachu had fallen asleep in his lap, but after hearing the news, the last thing he could think about was sleep. It had been six hours since Ash had heard that fateful word. Misty's sisters had paid her a visit a little while ago, but lost interest after discovering that there was no way to communicate with her.

"_This is great, I might lose Misty before I even get a chance to tell her that I…" _His thoughts were interrupted,

"Mr. Ketchum?" Ash stood up and strode over to where the white coated man was standing.

"I'm Ash Ketchum," Ash relayed. "Ahh, yes we've received some details about your girlfriend after running some tests," the doctor stated.

"Umm, actually she's not my girlfriend, she just a really close friend," Ash responded, blushing profusely at the thought of him dating Misty. The doctor narrowed his eyes in disbelief, but decided to let the subject drop.

"Well as you know, your _friend_ has come down with an extreme viral infection and has maybe a twenty percent chance survival rate. We're giving her all the pain killers and medicines we can, but we don't really know what to expect, let alone when she might wake up. I'm sorry," the man finished.

By now, Pikachu was wide awake, and Ash was sitting down once again with his face in his palms.

"You may see her now if you wish," and with that the doctor left to attend to another patient.

Ash immediately stood up and paced up to the door that the doctor had just exited. He took a deep breath and entered slowly. Misty was neatly tucked into a white hospital bed. Her hair was neatly combed and let down to the left side of her head. She had regained some of her skin color, but she was still slightly pale. Ash felt his throat swell up and the tears began flow. "_How could this happen to such a sweet innocent girl like Misty?" _ He asked himself. He pulled up a small metal chair and sat down taking Misty's hand in his. "Misty," Ash managed out, "I'm so sorry. You don't deserve this. You're an angel to me, even if sometimes we didn't get along to well…" Ash managed out a small, choked back laugh. "But please," he continued, "I need you, you can't leave me. If you die, then so do I," he finished. He could no longer help himself. He quietly stood up, leaned over, and gently planted a soft kiss on Misty's forehead.

Just then a doctor passed by, glancing at one of the machines resting next to Misty's bed. Then, he poked his head back into view with an extremely startled look on his face.

"Doc, is there something wrong," Ash asked with a nervous look. The doctor paced over to a keyboard and began pressing buttons, with the monitor flashing to different screens.

"I'm… I'm not sure, but it seems your friend's vital signs have just boosted at an incredible rate. Was there anything that you may have been doing to trigger this?" He asked with a questioning look on his face.

"Well… I… Umm… I just…" he was cut off, "Son, I don't know what you were doing, but whatever it was, keep doing it," and with that, he left the room.

Ash then looked back at Misty with a confused look, but soon turned into a sheepish grin. "Well, you heard the man," and he began to lean over.

But just as their lips were centimeters apart, an interrogative voice asked, "Ash?" "B…Brock? What are you doing here?" Ash asked with an almost harsh voice.

"Listen, pal, I'm sorry if I interrupted something…" he said with a smirk. Ash's face turned to the color of a beet, but then managed, "N…No."

"Well, alright then… But did you really expect me sit around while one of my best friends was this sick?" Ash shook his head.

He knew that Brock had all the rights in the world to see Misty, because he had known her just as long as long as Ash had.

"Ash, are you okay?" Brock asked. Ash realized that he had been looking off into space. "Yeah, I'm just feeling a little out it," he replied.

"Well, do you wanna go get a bite to eat, I haven't eaten since I left Pewter," asked Brock. Ash looked a little stunned as he realized that he hadn't eaten or fed Pikachu in a day. Pikachu gave Brock an eager look and directed it back to Ash. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea seeing that we haven't eaten in a while, right buddy?" Pikachu nodded. "Then let's go," finished Brock, and they made their way to the cafeteria in the other wing of the hospital.

They had a good meal with Brock picking the salad bar, Ash choosing the soup of the day, and ordering a small dish of lo mein for his small yellow friend. When they were finished, they paid the tab and started the walk back towards the wing of the hospital that Misty was resting within. They entered the large waiting room and took two seats near the exit of the room, but just as soon as they had sat down a doctor sped over to them with an extremely nervous look on his face.

"Excuse me Mr. Ketchum, but something has gone wrong with your friend's treatment," he almost blurted out.

"Wh…What?" Ash choked out with a look of absolute horror in his eyes.

"Well, her body had a certain reaction to some of the medicine we gave her, and her lungs failed, the only thing that is keeping her alive right now is a machine that we've hooked her up to. Sir, there is nothing more we can do for her, and we need the machine for other patients. We've contacted her sisters but they refuse to speak to us. We need to know if you are willing to let her go…" Ash's face teared up almost instantly.

He didn't have time to think, he simply stated, "Let her go," and before another word could be spoken Ash bolted out of the hospital, into the pouring rain.

"Ash!" "Pika!" His two friends yelled out, but Ash could not hear them over his own sobs.

He ran down many of the Cerulean streets just trying to escape from an unknown enemy.

He finally fell to his knees and cried out to the heavens, "WHY? SHE DIDN'T DESERVE THIS! AND NOW IT'S MY FAULT SHE GONE!"

He put his head down to the ground. He could no longer tell the difference between the rain and his tears he was sobbing at full force. He didn't look up until he heard a soft, gentle, feminine voice ask, "Ash…?"

A/N: Not really much to say. Next chapter out soon.


	4. Chapter 4: Rejoice

A/N: Look, I'm extremely sorry for the wait, I have no excuses, flame all you want, I deserve it. I'm currently on a plane bound for Alaska where I'll be doing some fishing.

Disclaimer: I don't own pokemon, but do you think they would mind if I, you know, borrowed sceptile?

**Sickness of the Heart:**

Chapter 4: Rejoice

"Misty?" "Ash, it's me, stop crying, it's dangerous out here at this time of night," Misty said.

"M…Misty? B…But you're…" "Dead?" he was cut off, "Do you honestly believe that I would leave you for some stupid vi…" but she was cut off when Ash srung up from his former curled up ball position and flung his arms around her and squeezed like she was his only lifeline, which she was.

"Misty, promise that you'll never leave me again," Ash bestowed through what were now tears of joy.

"I… ugh… promise," she managed through Ash's smoldering hug. "But, they were sure you'd be dead, what happened?" asked Ash. "Well, the doctors weren't quite sure, but they thought that the sudden change of my lungs having to breath on their own jump started my whole body."

"Oh my God, the breathing… Misty, it's all my fault, I was the one who said to take you off…" he said with tears now running down his cheeks, "I'm so sorry, I was just too scared to think, I couldn't stand thinking of you staying in that state forever, I…" "Ash, it's all right," "But Misty, I don't deserve to be your friend, I can't believe I would just let you…" He started. "Ash! I said it's all right," but then out of nowhere she slammed Ash in the head with her mallet, leaving him twitching on the ground. "Yet if you ever even think about doing that again, a smack in the head would just be a taste of what I would do to you." She smirked. "Ugh, yes ma'am," he said in a drunk like state. "But wait, wouldn't you already be…" He started, "Finish that sentence, I dare you," She replied with closed eyes and a grin, the mallet already up over her head. "Umm, what do you say we head back to the hospital and check on Brock and Pikachu?" he said getting up nervously. "That's a good boy," Misty Smiled back.

As they headed back, Misty intertwined her fingers in Ash's and rested her head on his shoulder. Suddenly, Ash felt light as a feather. "_You don't think she could.. Nah, she's just tired," _he thought.

Right before they reached the hospital, Misty stopped Ash when she noticed a look of deep concern and worry in his eyes.

"Ash, what's wrong?" she asked with questioning eyes. "Well, it's just that… How do I know that you'll never leave me again?" He asked softly. She sighed and looked up at him with relief. "Because," she replied. "Because wh…" but he was cut off when Misty leaned in for a passionate kiss. Ash, what at first startled but soon found himself returning the kiss just as deeply, brushing the stray hairs from her deep ocean blue eyes. "Because I love you," she whispered in his ear. "_Yes! She really does love me! I was right!" _Ash thought. He felt like jumping for joy, but instead just replied, "I love you too." They were just about to kiss again when they heard muffled giggling coming from the direction of one of the hospital's corners.

"Ok, joke's over, come out now," Ash said. With that, Pikachu and Brock rolled around laughing hysterically. "Hah ha, ah ah ah hah, AAHHHHH!" Brock screamed as Misty smacked him in the head with her mallet. This ended his and Pikachu's laughter extremely quickly. "You mind telling me what's so funny?" Misty asked, holding her mallet up yet again. "S…sure, just put that thing away!" "Pika!" Misty did so and waited for them to continue. "Ok, well it's just that… It took you guys so long to finally get together," for a second, Ash and Misty paused at the thought of being together, but then looked at each other and smiled. "But I'm happy for you both," Brock finished.

It was later that night and Ash Misty and Brock had checked into the pokemon center. They were sitting on the sofas in the main lobby discussing what they would do next.

"Well, now that Misty and I are together, I can't just go off to Sinnoh and leave her," Ash said.

"Why don't you take her with you?" asked Brock. "I think she has to take care of the gym, right Mist?" asked Ash. Misty blushed at being called her nickname. "Actually, my sister will be back soon, so I could leave anytime," Misty responded. "Well then it's settled, we can go explore Sinnoh together, right Misty. She nodded. "Aren't you forgetting something?" asked Brock. "I don't think so," Misty said. "Well, you guys need someone to keep you out of trouble," Brock said with again. Ash pretended to be sad. "Fine, will you come, Brock?" Brock also pretended to be sad, and sighed, "I suppose so," he finished. The group then burst out in laughter.

Things were going to be different from now on, but not too different.

**THE END**

A/N: Well, I hope you enjoyed it. I'm thinking about writing a sequel, but I need ideas in reviews. A special thanks to XtremeGamer, he helped me a lot. Give him a holler!


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